New IAEA Report Warns About Iran’s Nuclear Weapons Efforts

Yesterday the International Atomic Energy Agency released a report that warned that it has evidence that Iran may be working on a nuclear warhead. This is the first time the IAEA has suggested that Tehran had either resumed such work or in fact had never stopped, as U.S. intelligence agencies had concluded in a controversial 2007 National Intelligence Estimate. The draft report (pdf) cited undisclosed evidence that “raises concerns about the possible existence in Iran of past or current undisclosed activities related to the development of a nuclear payload for a missile.”

The report also noted that Iran had stonewalled IAEA efforts to discuss issues related to nuclear weapons work since August 2008 and confirmed that Iran had enriched uranium to a level of 19.8 percent, which is a major step toward producing weapons-grade uranium, despite repeated U.N. Security Council resolutions demanding that they stop these and other nuclear activities.

The new report, which included the U.N. agency’s strongest language to date concerning Iran’s suspicious nuclear activities, was the first prepared under the leadership of new IAEA Director General Yukiya Amano. Amano last year replaced former IAEA chief Mohamed ElBaradei, who repeatedly undermined western efforts to pressure Iran to halt its nuclear program and earned a reputation as the “nuclear watchdog that didn’t bark.”

The Obama Administration urged Iran to publicly address issues highlighted in the report. State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley complained that “We cannot explain why it refuses to come to the table and engage constructively to answer questions that have been raised.”

But Tehran may believe that such a confrontation is unlikely with the Obama Administration, which continues to cling to its failed engagement strategy. Earlier this week Vice President Joseph Biden went out of his way to downplay Iran’s nuclear threat. And on February 17, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton told Al-Arabiya television that “Obviously, we don’t want Iran to become a nuclear weapons power, but we are not planning anything other than going for sanctions.”

The new IAEA report provided fresh evidence contradicting the controversial 2007 National Intelligence Estimate on Iran’s nuclear program that concluded that Iran had suspended weaponization activities in 2003. Rep. Pete Hoekstra (R-MI), the ranking Republican member on the House Select Committee on Intelligence, called for a review of the flawed 2007 NIE by outside experts:

When the IAEA, a United Nations body, is issuing reports that are more definitive than the US intelligence community, something is clearly wrong. The solution is to set up a “Red Team” of non-government experts to review US intelligence on an Iranian nuclear weapons program and issue an independent report. There is precedent for such an outside review which I believe would help improve and restore confidence in U.S. intelligence analysis.

James Phillips is the senior research fellow for Middle Eastern affairs at the Douglas and Sarah Allison Center for Foreign Policy Studies at The Heritage Foundation. He has written extensively on Middle Eastern issues and international terrorism since 1978. Read his research.

Join The Discussion

I cant believe that our goverment officals are suprized. It is very clear to me that the Iran has been bluffing the whole time. they know the u.n. is cowardly and that they will want to "talk it out" the Iran men that are in charge know that and will string us along untill they can destroy us. May God have mercy on our souls!

Do some research on Corea and Persia and their diplomatic delay and stall tactics as a strategy to complete projects that are expressly promised and widely known as specific objectives.

The United States should actively organize a group of Democratic Nations with similar interests and goals to ensure us like minded nations reach our objectives.

These objectives of what I will label "Rogue Nations" are not sufficiently addressed by the U.N. Security Council.

These so-called Rogue Nations are being implemented as political tools on an International Scale by certain members of the U.N. Security Council today.

The United Nations is the most ineffectual body of appointed dignitaries in World History and why we Americans place so much confidence and trust and further more dollars in this sham of the U.N. is beyond me

Instead of preserving peace and preventing war the U.N. on its lame course virtually assures conflict.

They should have a statue of Neville Chamberlain at U.N.H.Q.

And we should maintain only an Ambassador to the U.N.

We Americans should start to organize the new Democratic Organization of Equal States today.

One of the first foreign policies Obama inacted (besides his apology tour) was to order Israel to "stand down". He knew then, as he knows now, that Iran would and has developed nuclear weapons that could be used against other countries in the Middle East, Europe, and the U.S. Obama is so deluganal and consumed

by his own self importance, he really believes his "presence" will change

the radical government of Iran. We all can see that Obama is putting the world

into the cross hairs of radical Islam, but we do nothing to stop him. If Iran is to be

controled, turn Israel loose to do what they do better than anyone else can.

I thought Obama told us that Iran would listen to us because we apologized for our arrogance and that we are ready to talk to them without pre-conditions. Obama told us with him in charge the whole world will start holding hands and sing happy songs. What happened? What we have is stupidity in motion.

[…] co-operation.” His statement is a slightly softer indictment of Iran’s nuclear defiance than a confidential IAEA report leaked last week that indicated that the U.N. agency had “concerns about the possible existence […]

Hmmm… . Mohammed ElBaradei, the head of the IAEA, stated, "We haven't seen indications or any concrete evidence that Iran is building a nuclear weapon and I've been saying that consistently for the last five years."

Don’t have time to read the Washington Post or New York Times? Then get The Morning Bell, an early morning edition of the day’s most important political news, conservative commentary and original reporting from a team committed to following the truth no matter where it leads.

Email address

Ever feel like the only difference between the New York Times and Washington Post is the name? We do. Try the Morning Bell and get the day’s most important news and commentary from a team committed to the truth in formats that respect your time…and your intelligence.